Florida Town Hit By First-Ever BankRobbery

BARTOW, Fla. - (02/01/05) -- This town ended what may beconsidered the longest streak without a bank robbery last Mondaywhen the local branch of MidFlorida FCU was held up. One timepolice got a tip that a robbery was planned and staked out FloridaNational Bank but there was no robbery. A few years ago policeresponded to a report of a robbery at MidFlorida FCU but it turnedout to be a hoax cooked up by a teller and her boyfriend. But allstreaks come to an end, and so to did the robbery-less one, on Jan.24, when a wanted bank robber named Wesley Caruthers allegedly hitthe credit union. Caruthers, who was wanted for four otherrobberies since the beginning of the year, was eventually trackeddown at a local hotel later that night and shot as he tried toescape. Caruthers, who was released from prison in 2004 afterserving seven years or a 10-year-sentence for a bank-robbery spree,was being held in guarded condition at the Lakeland RegionalMedical Center.